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Tulsi Gabbard one of two to receive New Frontier Award

Wed, 11/20/2013 - 4:29pm

Boston, MA – Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), one of the first two female combat veterans to serve in the U.S. Congress and an emerging leader on veterans’ issues, and Charles Best, Founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org, a pioneering online charity that connects individual donors with public school teachers to meet classroom teaching needs, have been named this year’s recipients of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards.

Samoa News understands Congresswoman Gabbard is the first person of American Samoan decent to receive such an honor.

The awards will be presented by Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s grandson and a member of the New Frontier Award Committee, at 6:00 p.m. on November 25, 2013 during a ceremony at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and will be webcast live.

“We have been told over and over that America is no longer the great country that it was when my grandfather was president," said Jack Schlossberg. “But Charles Best and Tulsi Gabbard exemplify the spirit of public service that is the heart of President Kennedy’s legacy.

"From heads of state to community volunteers, from NASA to the Peace Corps, President Kennedy inspired people all over the world to put their time and talent to work on the great challenges of the era. Tulsi Gabbard and Charles Best are carrying that torch into a new era as direct descendants of my grandfather’s New Frontier. They are pioneers and problem-solvers who are stepping up to meet the challenges of our time with creativity, purpose and resolve,” Schlossberg said.

The John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards were created by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the Institute of Politics to honor Americans under the age of 40, who are changing their communities and the country with their commitment to public service. The awards are presented annually to two exceptional individuals whose contributions in elective office, community service, or advocacy demonstrate the impact and the value of public service in the spirit of John F. Kennedy.

One of the New Frontier Awards honors an elected official whose work demonstrates the importance of elective service as a way to address a public challenge or challenges. This award, called the Fenn Award, is presented to a young elected official in honor of Dan Fenn, the Kennedy Library’s first director and a former member of President Kennedy’s staff. This is the award that will be presented to Cong. Gabbard, who is a native of Leloaloa, American Samoa.

The other New Frontier Award honors an individual whose contributions in the realm of community service, advocacy or grassroots activism have had a positive impact on a broad public policy issue or challenge. This award goes to Charles Best.